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Carroll County Republican/1857-01-16/The Public Schools of Mt. Carroll
January 16, 1857, Republican 5:43, p. 2 (David Wheeler had already relinquished the paper to the control of D.B. Emmert) The Public Schools of Mt. Carroll. MR. Editors: -- Having recently visited the schools of Mt. Carroll, I feel like saying a few things on the subject to the good citizens of the town. There are now three public schools in the place, taught in three buildings in the different quarters of the town, by MESSRS. Myers, HAYNES, and CROUSE. All the schools are doing well considering the facilities afforded the teachers. In West Carroll there is a good School House; both the other buildings are almost totally unfit for the purposes of a school. In the three schools there are about 223 pupils enrolled, about equally distributed; with an average attendance of about 60 to each school. I believe the teachers are good teachers, who are doing the best they can under the circumstances, and progress is being made by most of the pupils. It is manifest however that with better advantages, and a better system on the part of the town, much more progress might be made, in other words that we are paying a tax in the very worst possible shape (that is in the minds of our children) on a poor system and poor school houses. I propose to call attention to a few facts, and draw my own conclusions therefrom. We have in the town about 400 children entitled to and needing the advantage of public instruction. To educate these children we pay a State tax of about $800. We are entitled a pro rata of the interest on the swamp land fund and school college and seminary fund of about $250 more. There is also I believe a township tax, of which we pay, perhaps, $100 this year, making an aggregate of about $1,150, for the support of schools in the village, most of which is actually paid by our citizens. In this calculation I embrace, of course, the district in the East part of the town, which lies in Salem. Now, I admit, at once, that this is not quite enough to educate the children of the town, under an efficient system; but it does not lack more than $500 of being sufficient to provide instruction for every child in Mt. Carrol. The $1,150 we pay or receive, or ought to receive, does not educate much more than half''the children, and even these "pursue knowledge under difficulties." Under the present system nearly half of the children are practically excluded from our schools, though their parents pay a fair proportion of the taxes. A class of pupils are excluded because the branches they wish to study cannot be taught in our schools. For, the best teacher in the world cannot teach from Algebra down to primes, with 60 pupils scattered all along this scale. There are at least 40 of the children of this town who are just as much entitled to public instruction as any, whose parents are as ''true friends of popular education as any, who are educated in our Seminary, and whose bills are paid by their parents, after these parents have paid taxes for the support of popular education. I do not know that these persons complain, but they ought to complain. It is rank injustice that this thing should be, under a liberal law for public instruction. Nor is it necessary as I shall hereafter try to show. Another class of pupils are crowded out of the public schools, and as their parents do not feel able to pay their bills elsewhere, they go uninstructed. This is a worse feature than the other. So long as the pupils are educated, society may rest content, no matter who foots the bill or how often it is footed. But when children are excluded from the benefits of education it s time for society to arise and reform the level. Here then are half the pupils excluded for want of proper facilities to educate them, and the other half imperfectly schooled for the same reason. Take into consideration one more fact, and then I shall propose a remedy. We have a future to provide for. The property of the town and the children of the town are likely to increase, and in making our arrangements for schools we must not overlook this fact. We must remember that in two years the funds accruing to us without any extra taxation will probably be equal, $1,800 to $2,000 annually, a sum sufficient, I think, to educate all the children, under a proper system. My figures are, however, merely general estimates. We have now but one school house -- It is proposed to make preparations to build two more, I believe, soon. Taxes are being paid for one, and plans are projected or the other. I infer that we are to have three small school houses, in three localities in the town, of dimensions entirely inadequate to the education of the children. The schools, too, are to have no connection with each other, and each school is to have a complete set of all the studies pursued in public schools. I hesitate not to say, that such a system would be disgrace to the town, while it would operate to the unjust exclusion of half, or more than half, the children of the town, from that public instruction for which their parents pay taxes. Such a system is perhaps necessary in the country, where people dwell far apart, but in towns no such necessity exists. All the children can be grouped at one point, and educated in one graded school. My plan is this, in brief. Let there be a special charter procured at this session for the schools of the borough. We are incorporated and are entitled to that. Let the charter vest the ontrol of the schools in the town council, who shall control them, by a board of inspectors .... said board of inspectors .... to the .... for school purposes .... school township in effect. .... entitled to its pro rate of school funds according to its number of children. I have stated that we do not receive our full share of school monies. Probably one third goes to other parts of the township. The reason is that the school funds are distributed by the town trustees according to the number of days of school attendance in each district. We fail to get our quota, because our children are not in our schools. If we keep schools open nine months in the year, and if all our children were in the schools, we should be entitled to double the money we now receive, more of course than our share. A separate corporate existence would entitle us to our just share on the basis of population under 21 years of age, and it would work no injustice on any other town. The next step would be to erect, in some accessible location, a building suitable for accommodating the school. Let the school be graded into three departments. I think it would be best, for many reasons that I have not time now to unfold, to have the highest of the three departments taught in the Mt. Carroll Seminary. One important reason is that it would be cheaper, to have a limited number, say 40, educated in that institution, than to pay the salary of a Teacher qualified to instruct them; to say nothing of the additional expense in building to accommodate them. A building for the two lower departments, two stories high, and of convenient arrangement for the instruction of all the pupils, could be erected at an expense of from $3,000 to $5,000 according to the style and finish. We should then have a graded school. -- The child would enter the first department, rise successively through the others, and come out liberally educated. -- The many advantages of such a school I have not time to dwell upon. Any one can see, however, that twice the number of pupils can be taught by the same number of teachers as now employed, and that much greater progress could be made by the pupils. It will be objected that this plan will be more expensive. I answer, that if this were true, it is our duty to educate our children at any cost; and that it is far cheaper to buy intelligent citizens at great cost, than to let ignorant and debased ones come up among us free of expense. The truth is, however, that the graded school is the only cheap way of educating our children. The old system is cheap because it does not educate them, it crowds half the pupils out, and half educates the rest. If we were to educate all it would be the most expensive plan ever devised. For instance it is proposed to erect two small school houses next summer. Does any body suppose these are sufficient? If all the branches are taught in each school, 40 pupils are enough for each room and teacher. And few teachers will with this number do justice to all. At this rate eight school houses, east of Carroll creek, could be supplied with pupils by next autumn. Any one can see that these school houses would cost more than a good building for a graded school, and that eight teachers would cost more than four. As a citizen of the town, to say nothing of other considerations, I am anxious to see an interest manifested in this subject. If any thing is done it must be done soon. To avoid the waste of time in discussion, the charter might be obtained subject to the acceptance of the citizens, at an election to be held for that purpose, after it is obtained. The Legislature is now in session. The session will be brief, and it will not meet again for two years. The question is, shall we provide for the education of our children while we may? -- D.H.W. Category:Crisis of 1857